A Great report with really good pics, I was hoping to follow the race on the official water tribe home page{It's a pity to have so poor a coverage on such a challanging race} but to no avail, so the pics you took were great.Ainut{now TI nut}

2 of the DNF's (Dogslife aka Paul Myers and Bosab aka Charlie Fast) said that the new rudders performed outstandingly. They both had a tough first day, were fatiqued when they started, and said they were making bad decisions after 24 hrs--you do that when you are halucinating. So, they each independently decided to drop out. Dogs also had a serious medical problem, and he discussed that in detail on a post this afternoon http://www.watertribe.com/Discussion/DiscReadMsg.aspx?strThread=8514&strNumReplies=3

Another dropped out at a point where fatigue sets in--typical for a first timer (Brogan aka Paul Myers) and the competitor says to himself, "what the hell am I doing here!" Of course, they should get a good meal and a good night's sleep before making the decision, but they don't--it is too temping to head to a restaurant and get the nearest motel.

The fourth AI/TI that DNF reached Flamingo only 30 miles from the finish--but it is one of the toughest parts of the course in terms of sailing. I don't know what happened to Kokopedal (aka Ray Jones) and Sirtackalot (aka Roy Edwards), but they will probably tell their story some place.

Keith

_________________"Don't kid yourselves, sharks are everywhere in the Everglades" Chekika

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

When they (Dogs & Jim Czarnowski--Hobie Chief Engineer) installed Dogslife's "new" rudder at the EC2011 start, they reverse the steering lines. Dogslife complains about that as he crossed Tampa Bay. Once across, he stopped on the beach and retied the lines.

Keith

_________________"Don't kid yourselves, sharks are everywhere in the Everglades" Chekika

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

Here is what I have learned about Kokopedal & Sirtackalot and their TI. They had made the best time of all the AI/TIs in the EC2011. The following is a quote from WaterTriber, Etchemin:

Quote:

As i understand when they came into CP3 [Flamingo] they experienced some rough weather around the Cape [Cape Sable]. The mast fittings under the front deck broke so they ducked into Whitewater Bay to take inside route. When they got to the checkpoint they removed the front hatch and showed me the bolt that had sheared off releasing the the two critical pieces that make the mast function properly. The hull was flexed to the point it was going to be hard to get all the pieces lined up. Couldnt get it repaired or replaced they decided to drop out at CP3.

Im sure they can give you a more detailed and accurate account.

I saw on their track that they had started around Cape Sable (where I was camped a day later: viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7276&p=138314#p138314 Scroll down to the 2nd picture story). Then, their track reversed back to Shark River where they entered into Whitewater Bay and on to Flamingo. It is called the "inside route."

Finally, they have a short video as they approach Flamingo after pedaling 15 mi across Whitewater Bay against a strong headwind. You can hear the fatigue in their voices. By this point, I think they had mentally thrown in the towel on the EC2011--definitely can't blame them. Video of last mile to Flamingo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUbBIXyuR1g

Keith

_________________"Don't kid yourselves, sharks are everywhere in the Everglades" Chekika

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

I competed in the this year's Everglades Challenge. There were some major head winds this year. I really like the new Hobie Rudder. It is much more responsive and easier to maintain if you need to adjust the line tension.

I dropped out at the end of the second day due to running a high temperature and kidney problems. I will be back next year.

From the Kokopedal Video it does look like the hull mast step bolts broke off.

This is not a a good environment for a 316 stainless bolt. It is the single attachment point of the V-Brace, under stress and constantly in a wet salt environment. Stainless Steel has a stress cracking problem where it develops micro-cracks. Bolts can fail in thread areas due to machining problems when cutting the threads. The US Navy is very aware of this and stopped using 316 hardware in any loaded applications. We use 400 and 600 series bolts.

The stainless steel corrosion stress cracking can be a invisible enemy. Hobie might either have to increase the bolt size or change material in this application...